Boston v Dallas

Jeff Green isn't a player I've seen before. He seems like a fairly athletic small forward, able to get in the lane and challenge the big guys for the offencive boards. His bucket after rebounding his own shot gives Boston some breathing space as the first quarter starts to wind down. Rondo and Garnett are both off the floor; leaving Pierce, Terry and Green with the duties of carrying the scoring. Boston really need that scoring, as they can't stop anything without Garnett under the basket.

Boston take a two point lead into the first quarter break, but you're left thinking that Boston should really have a much larger lead at this point of the game. When Dallas are starting with Derek Fisher, O.J Mayo, Dahntay Jones, Shawn Marion, and Chris Kaman, a team of Boston's nature shouldn't really have any trouble controlling the game. At least you can admire Boston's commitment to white headbands.

Garnett starts the second quarter, after having left the game five minutes into the first quarter. I struggle to think of anyone who follows this pattern in any other sport. Each and every game, Garnett heads to the bench at the seven minute mark, and straight away, Boston starts leaking points from all over the court. Vince Carter, a player who used to torment the Celtics while with the Nets and Raptors, fires off a deep three and ends up airballing it out of bounds. Watching NBA players on the decline is never easy. But as much as Rondo is the focus of the Celtics offence, he will never be the focus of the Boston team as long as Garnett is still pulling on the Celtics singlet, no matter how old he is. Boston take n eight point lead into the first timeout of the second quarter.

Dirk Nowitski apparently got married in the Summer. Whats more obvious is how much Dallas are missing his contributions on the court. He hopes to be back by Christmas, and a return by Christmas would be a great Christmas present for the Dallas Mavericks. Garnett isn't making the shots he was making in the first quarter. Carter misses another three. They say Vince Carter has reinvented himself in order to still make a valuable contribution to his team. I didn't know hogging possession and going for wild shots was so valuable. What was valuable was Chris Kaman's beard. I'm absolutely devastated to find that the beard is no longer. Well, there is some facial hair, but it would be disrespectful to describe it as a beard as it doesn't at all resemble the wispy treat that was the Beard of Kaman. Carter steps across from Pierce and drains a three. Garnett shoots an airball. Boston lead by five at the next timeout.

It's hard to believe that Jared Sullinger is a rookie, when he's surrounded by a team as senior as the Celtics you instantly look at least three years older than you really are. With six to go in the second quarter, Pierce drains a three to take Boston's lead to eight...until Boston give away another second chance bucket to Shawn Marion, with a foul, to give them a five point lead. Dahntey Jones seems to be giving away a lot of fouls. Fouling seems to be a good way to show that you belong in the NBA. Even if you don't have a whole lot of talent, it makes you look active and like you're trying on defence. Boston look really rusty on the fast break, I guess that's what happens when you haven't run a fast break since 2007. Pierce looks to be challenging himself to make the most difficult shots possible as he makes a ducking two to take his points tally to 13.

Rondo passes to Pierce who struggles to hold onto the ball. Rondo was standing with two metres between himself and the defender, while Pierce was closely guarded. Rondo could have taken on the man opening up space for Pierce, but Rondo just tosses him the ball. Rondo is probably wondering right now why people think he isn't living up to his potential. Boston up by eight.

Rondo starts trying. On a fast break he looks to his left, shifting the defender to the left, leading to a pass to his right to an open Courtney Lee. Lee misses. Rondo on another break looks to the left, shifting the defender to the left, puts a pass straight into Brandon Bass who is fouled. Dallas' new number four, Darren Collison gets a quick four points pulling the lead back to four. Pierce puts up a pump fake, Collison falls into him, whistle blows, shot up, shot goes in. Classic Paul Pierce. Pierce makes the throw and Boston takes the lead to seven with Pierce responsible for 16 points. Mayo finally scores. Boston take a timeout with eight seconds to go. Even though the timeout is twenty seconds, because the game is on national TV, the timeout is at least thirty seconds. Rondo passes to Pierce, Pierce covered. Pierce to Rondo. Rondo trys getting space, and only does once the clock runs out. Doesn't get a shot off. Classic Rajon Rondo. Boston lead by five at the half.

First points of the second half come after Rondo collects a defensive and offensive rebound. O.J Mayo scores a three with a hand in his face, the kind of play that makes Dallas less worried about the lack of Jason (Jet) Terry...then Terry scores a three of his own. Rondo seems to be passing just a bit too early on fast break opportunities. Instead of an easy dunk, Pierce finds himself walking to the foul line. Boston look in control, leading by seven, but there is only a minute left before Garnett goes off. Garnett happily adds another two points to Boston's score. A block on an O.J Mayo three point attempt by Pierce followed by a second chance bucket by Brandon Bass gives Boston an 11 point lead, their biggest of the night. Barbosa is yet to get on the court tonight, but could well help spread out the Dallas defence allowing players like Courtney Lee and Jason Terry an opportunity to have a more consistent impact on the game. I still think Boston are potentially looking to trade for a solid body who can carry the defensive load while Garnett is off the court. It's just hard to work out exactly who Boston would trade.
Bass seems to be having a solid game, but sometimes leaves you wishing for more physicality on defence. Vince Carter is about to come on, the Boston defence starts to get ready to give him just enough space to let off crazy threes. Brandon Bass attacks the basket and finds himself sent to the line again as Kaman completes the foul. Marion seems to be stuffing the stat charts, while having little impact on the actual game. Boston give Carter a bit of space, but instead of shooting he attacks the basket and passes it to an open Darren Collison who nails the three. Orlando fans everywhere are left wondering why he couldn't do that for them. Boston leading by nine.

Marion intercepts a Sullinger inbound pass, seemingly misses a sitter, rebounds the shot and scores. Marion seems to be seeking entry into the NBA's class of elite stat stuffers. Boston up by nine with 2:53 to go in the third.

I guess Paul Pierce also belongs in the stat stuffing elite. Not only can he get assists by drawing the extra defender, he can also get the offensive boards and score under the basket. Darren Collison gets hot and all of a sudden Boston's lead is four points. But Garnett is coming back into the game. Rondo nails an open jump shot. Every time you see him land one of those another question is raised about Rondo's effort. Why can't he take that shot more often?

Wow. With four points to go Rondo has the ball inbounded to him be Garnett. He dummies picking it up allowing it to roll without the clock starting. He only picks it up when Derek Fisher is almost on top of the ball before getting inside the paint, stepping back and nailing the jumper. Boston up be six points heading into the fourth quarter.

Rondo gets the first points of the fourth. Fake pass before driving for a backdoor layup. I don't know what Boston's prettiest play is. It's either Garnett's turnaround high post jumper or Rondo's fake pass and drive to the basket. Intense defence by Garnett leads to a steal which leads to an alley-oop from Rondo to Green for a screamer of a dunk. But Boston keep on leaking points...

Boston are leading by three with nine remaining. Jeff Green decides to show off his athleticism and scores a great driving layup, but Boston again let through another two points. A missed Boston three gives Dallas the chance to get the equaliser, but a Terry steal brings the ball back into the Mavericks half. Someone is going to need to step up for Boston and steer them through the final eight minutes. Pierce has been quiet in these first few minutes, and it looks like he's getting ready to lead his team to the win. Garnett may well be the teams leader for the first three quarters, but the fourth quarter is all Pierce's.

All of a sudden it's a one point game. A lazy steal against Rondo gives the Mavericks an easy bucket. Pierce steps up to restore order...and misses. A nervous Doc Rivers pulls Garnett out for a quick break. Jason Terry steps up and provides a smooth pass for Jeff Green. Boston up by three. As Rondo gets another steal and breaks up the court Derek Fisher grabs hold of a screaming Jeff Green and holds on stopping Jeff Green from getting an easy bucket, sending him to the foul line. It's hard to believe that Derek Fisher started this game ahead of Darren Collison.

Green nails the free throws giving Boston a five point lead. Fisher misses a two point shot. A shot he tried making as difficult as possible for himself. He makes up for it with a steal and a great drive for a layup. Boston up be three with 4:20 remaining. Carter and Fisher are both talking to a referee both looking shocked that they are still able to be playing in the NBA. It's always fun seeing the promotions for the second ESPN game knowing I won't be able to see the second game because I live in Australia. We only get two games a week, seemingly with a quota of showing three western conference teams each week.

Garnett is back on. Rondo finally misses a jump shot. 3:21 remaining and Boston are up by two as Marion scores one of his two free throws. Dallas are tied. A Darren Collison rebound leads to a Darren Collison layup. Rivers takes a timeout. Pierce seems to have disappeared as every play seems to be ending up in the hands of Kevin Garnett. I think I'm starting to understand how Dallas have been doing so well without Nowitski. It all comes down to making that extra pass and ensuring high energy players keep on coming off the bench.

Rondo nails a jump shot giving Boston a two point lead with two minutes to go. The crowd are on their feet...and then Fisher nails a three giving Dallas their first lead of the night. Pierce nails a turnaround jumper. Boston up by one, crowd gets back on their feet. 1:09 to go. Dallas' possession. A soft Garnett foul gives Dallas a chance to reset. Mayo drives, gets a hand to his face from Rondo and all of a sudden Mayo is taking two free-throws. First one is in. Second one is OUT. Tied game with 50 seconds remaining...

Pierce misses the jumper. Dallas take a timeout with 24.6 seconds left on the clock (18 seconds on the shot clock). Pierce is going to have a shot to win. You can feel it. 96-96. I think it's going to be either Collison or Mayo who take the shot for Dallas. Fisher turns down an open three, passes it off. BOSTON WITH THE STEAL. Boston lack any awareness so take a timeout straight away without getting the ball past halfway. Boston will start down at the baseline. 6.9 seconds to go.

Rondo gets covered by Fisher, steps back out of light contact (no foul), mis-dribbles, and puts up a limp shot. We're going to overtime.

First play of OT is a Vince Carter turnover. Jason Terry then gets the ball near the key, draws the foul, nails the short jumper. Free throw is good. Boston by three.

Offensive foul against O.J Mayo. Rondo does a great job getting his feet planted. Terry misses a three point attempt in the corner...but neither can Dallas.

Pierce misses another turnaround jumper, Collison drives for a quick two points. Boston by one.

Rondo goes around the back and puts up a lazy layup. Blocked. Bass fouls Collison at the other end.

Collison misses his first, despite his 89% free throw shooting for the season. Nails the second. Game tied at 99-99.

Green holds onto it, gets double teamed. Steal. Fisher throws up a blank at the other end. Pierce gets the ball near the key. Fakes inside, spins off Fisher by the baseline and gets the basket. Celtics up by 2.

2:05 to go. Boston just get a strip in on a bounding Mayo. Still Dallas' ball. Shawn Marion with the dunk ties the game.

Green misses a layup after a great pass from Terry. Collison turns it over, Terry misses the easy layup, Fisher gets called for a loose ball foul and is out of the game. Clearly wasn't a foul, but I'm not caring and neither is anyone in TD Garden. Timeout.

Pierce nails the pull up jumper after the timeout. Marion lands a floater and game is again tied.

Rondo runs around the back, passes it out to Garnett at the top of the key. Shot is good. Rondo's fourteenth assist and Boston are up be two with 26.9 left on the clock.

Reach In foul called on Rondo. 19.4 seconds to go. Mayo drives and gets the shot. Tied game with 11 seconds remaining. Exactly like the end of the regulation. The extra few seconds should make this a bit less chaotic.

Surely they'll give it to Pierce now. Camera seems to be more focused on Dallas and Mayo. His shot was pretty clutch...

Ball goes to Rondo, Pierce in isolation guarded by Jones, shot goes up, no good. Yet again it's limp and doesn't come close to the basket. Dallas very lucky not to have a foul called against them. 

Pierce gets the second overtime started with a three. Mayo gets two points back with a nice finger-roll layup.

Pierce fouls but it doesn't matter as Mayo misses the shot.

Rondo misses a wild three, but credit has to go to Dallas for their defence.

Mayo misses his easiest shot of the night. Boston up by one with 2:30 to go.

Pierce again misses a relatively open shot...but so does Dallas.

Now Garnett misses. Then Mayo misses. Pierce turns it over trying to draw the foul. Sigh. The quality of this game really hasn't been done justice by the quality of play in this overtime. Too many players are settling for questionable shots rather than making the extra pass.

1:18 to go. Dallas still down by one. Rondo steals the ball of Mayo. Rondo goes for a lazy lay up and gets the shot blocked. Bloody hell. And it was blocked by Vince Carter of all people. But then Dallas screw up a pass and Boston get the ball back. Atmosphere at the Garden looks quite subdued.

Best stat of the night: DALLAS MAVERICKS LED ONCE FOR 17 SECONDS.

Yet here we are in double overtime...

Pierce gets the ball in isolation and draws the foul, Dallas not yet in the penalty so no shots. Coach yells that it wasn't a foul...but to no avail as Rondo drives through for a layup. Boston up by three.

Then Mayo doesn't make the shot and Pierce is fouled. Looks like the game is coming to an end.

Pierce makes the first free throw, misses the second. Dallas timeout. 17 seconds remaining and Dallas are down by four.

Rondo and Mayo have both played career high minutes with 53 and 52 minutes respectively.

Carter lands a crazy three off the inbound. This game isn't over yet!!! I'm pretty sure Rick Carlisle didn't draw up that play!

Pierce gets the ball off the inbound and is immediately fouled. Pierce makes the first. Pierce's second shot is good. Rick Carlisle takes another timeout. Boston up by three, have another foul to give, with 8.3 seconds remaining.

Pierce quickly fouls...Carlisle is telling them to 'run it again'. Terry fouls. Collison will take two free throws. First one is good. Collison gets the second one. Pierce fouled and Boston head up to the other end for free throws. First free throw is good. Second is good. Three point lead restored.

Dallas turn it over. Their 29th turnover for the game. Surely this game is done. Dallas now hoping for Courtney Lee to miss both his free throws. First throw is good. Second is good. Mayo lands a three as time expires and Boston win.

Boston have dominated everything in this game and still needed two overtimes to win. How many other teams in the NBA can do that and need overtime to seperate themselves from their opposition on the scoreboard? Must be a Boston thing.

NFL Picks Week X

Picks in bold

IND at JAC
SD at TB
TEN at MIA
BUF at NE
OAK at BAL
DEN at CAR
NYG at CIN
DET at MIN
ATL at NO
NYJ at SEA
DAL at PHI
STL at SF
HOU at CHI
KC at PIT

NFL Picks Week IX

Picks in bold

Kansas City at San Diego
Arizona at Green Bay
Detroit at Jacksonville
Chicago at Tennessee
Denver at Cincinnati
Carolina at Washington
Baltimore at Cleveland
Miami at Indianapolis
Buffalo at Houston
Minnesota at Seattle
Tampa Bay at Oakland
Pittsburgh at New York Giants
Dallas at Atlanta
Philadelphia at New Orleans

NFL Picks Week 8

Left it to the last minute again so I'll just be posting picks...

(Picks in bold)

TB at MIN
MIA at NYJ
SD at CLE
IND at TEN
NE at STL
JAC at GB
ATL at PHI
WAS at PIT
SEA at DET
CAR at CHI
OAK at KC
NJG at DAL
NO at DEN
SF at ARI

NFL Picks Week VII

Rushing today...
Will put up scores etc and some more analysis later...

Picks in bold

SEA at SF
ARI at MIN
DAL at CAR
NO at TB
GB at STL
WAS at NYG
BAL at HOU
TEN at BUF
CLE at IND
NYJ at NE
JAC at OAK
PIT at CIN
DET at CHI

Looper

Instead of reviewing Looper, I'd much rather like to write, at length, about the various issues surrounding the portrayal of time travel in the movie. Looper doesn't necessarily add anything new to the time-travel genre, but it does make for an engaging experience. Looper doesn't end up being anything like the movie you'd think it would be based on the trailers, and is a better film because of this. Both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis portray deep, engaging characters, with Bruce Willis playing a much more complex character than his younger counterpart. The setting for the film was awesome, with the films events taking place across a decaying city and the rural setting that surrounds the city. I don't really want to discuss the time-travelling elements of the film, but it's fair to say that not much about it is that new. The time-travelling in the film is something like an upside-down version of Terminator with  interweaving timelines.

I think the film was really well done, but perhaps could have been a bit more polished. Time-travel is an enormously complex topic, and is well fleshed-out in Looper. Some blogs seem to be talking about multiple paradox's in the movie, but I think these paradox's only exist if you are making assumptions about what is happening or will happen from the moment you start watching. Watch the movie with an open mind, otherwise you will end up having been disapointed.

Rating: 8/10

NFL Picks: Week VI

It really is getting easier to pick games now that it's becoming clearer wear teams stand. Teams like Green Bay, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are still really hard to place. The match up between the NFC North and AFC South this season has been thoroughly confusing, with the only two certainties to have come out of the match up is that Detroit will come last in the NFC North and Houston will come first in the AFC South. Last week I did well with my tips, getting eleven of the fourteen games correct.

Here are my picks for this week (picks in bold):

PIT at TEN
KC at TB
IND at NYJ
CIN at CLE
DET at PHI
OAK at ATL
STL at MIA
DAL at BAL
BUF at ARI
NE at SEA
NYG at SF
MIN at WAS
GB at HOU
DEN at SD

I've only tipped two away teams to get a win. Don't know what to make of Minnesota as three of their four wins came against the Jaguars, Titans and Lions. Their one loss came against the Colts, and their other win was away against San Francisco. This game will go along way in understanding how their season will shape up.

I hope I'm wrong about Green Bay, but their is no way you could tip against either the Falcons or Texans right now, especially when they're playing at home.

Results last round: 11-3
Results so far (since round two): 38-23

NFL Picks: Week Five

It's starting to become easier to determine who to pick, with the confusion of the first three weeks flowing into a more predictable week four. Philadelphia, San Francisco and Atlanta all look like near certainties to find their way into the NFC playoffs. Yet again, the NFC North looks congested with Minnesota and Chicago both being 3-1 from the first four games, but both don't yet look like favourites to take out the division, let alone make the playoffs. Minnesota look the better of the two, having beaten San Francisco and Detroit so far, but a loss against the Colts raises a few questions. Chicago have looked impressive in their wins against the Rams and Dallas, but looked pathetic against Green Bay. Green Bay are still the biggest unknown in the division. They have incurred losses at the hands of NFC West teams (Seattle and San Francisco), but got wins against Chicago and an improved New Orleans. Green Bay have the toughest schedule in the division, but should still take out the division, being only one game behind the Vikings and Bears.

Here are my picks for this week (picks in bold):

ARI at STL
PHI at PIT
GB at IND
CLE at NYG
ATL at WAS
MIA at CIN
BAL at KC
SEA at CAR
CHI at JAC
DEN at NE
BUF at SF
TEN at MIN
SD at NO
HOU at NYJ

Results last round: 11-4
Results so far (since round two): 27-20

AFL Free Agency: Look to the NBA for renewal

The current AFL Free Agent system is truly remarkable. Remarkable in how outdated and complex it is compared to sports around the World. Today has seen a couple of shifts in the player market, with West Coast Eagle veteran Quentin Lynch electing to sign a contract with Collingwood, while Kurt Tippett of the Adelaide Crows has signalled that he will not be signing a contract renewal with the Crows.

To be honest, I barely understand the AFL Free Agency system. I always think that the NBA Free Agency system works the best of all sports, especially when mixed with the flexible salary cap that provides an incentive for resigning players. In the NBA, players in their final year of their rookie contract are considered restricted free agents and can be offered contracts by any club. Only the club where the player is currently under contract can exceed the "soft" salary cap in signing the off contract player. If an opposing team makes an offer for the player, the player may sign the "offer sheet" to signal their intention to move to that team. The players original team then has the opportunity to match that offer. Once matched, the player instantly joins the original team and can no longer field offers.

Veteran players, like Quentin Lynch, would likely see more money from the West Coast Eagles (assuming West Coast did want to re-sign him) under the NBA free agency system. In the "NBA" the "Bird Rule" would apply allowing players to resign veterans above the soft salary cap. This system would help teams not only retain their players, but would make these players more easily available to struggling teams who are more likely to have room beneath the soft salary cap. This was the case in the NBA where Miami had enough money in their salary cap to sign both Lebron James and Chris Bosh, while no dominant team like the Lakers or Boston would have had a chance at signing either of these players. In this instance both James and Bosh had a choice with remaining at their original team, who could spend above the "soft" cap in re-signing their star players, or join another team who has to have all the space in the "soft" cap in order to be able to make a competitive contract offer to that player.

A criticism of the NBA Salary cap system is that it makes it too easy to hold onto players and previous NBA results show an uncompetitive competition where only a few franchises can actually win the competition. This is partially true, but the NBA system would be more ideally suited to the AFL where there are significantly larger rosters than the NBA. Teams dominate continually in the NBA because you only need one or two top class players to dominate the competition for years. A mixed salary cap system would be ideal for the AFL, allowing teams to better promote player loyalty, while allowing enough flexibility for signings by struggling teams promoting competitiveness throughout the league.

NFL Picks: Week IV

The NFL is about to become a whole lot less controversial with a new agreement being reached between the NFL and the officials. Last week was a real wake up call for the NFL, with the controversy in the Monday Night Football game being the icing on the cake. The call of pass interference on Shields even though it was the wide receiver making the contact, and the call of roughing the passer on Walden even though he was already in the process of making the tackle (i.e in the air) at the time the ball was released, combined with the touchdown/no-touchdown call by the officials, showed just how bad the NFL can be when top-notch officials aren't on the job. Week III of the NFL was the craziest I can remember, with upsets all over the place, but this round should be a bit more predictable. I got 7/16 for my tips last week.

This week I can't actually be bothered to fully justify my picks, so I'll list games and put in bold who my pick is.

Cleveland at Baltimore
Carolina at Atlanta
New England at Buffalo
Minnesota at Detroit
Tennessee at Houston
San Diego at Kansas City
San Francisco at New York Jets
Seattle at St Louis
Miami at Arizona
Oakland at Denver
Cincinnati at Jacksonville
New Orleans at Green Bay
Washington at Tampa Bay
New York Giants at Philadelphia
Chicago at Dallas


Last weeks tipping results: 7-9
Results so far (started round 2): 16-16

Movie reviews: Update

I remember saying I would update my list of best movies so far this year after I'd seen some more. I've done a review of The Dark Knight Rises, but have also seen 'The Amazing Spiderman' and 'The Watch'...

The Amazing Spider-man (3D)
Unfortunate to have come out in the same period as The Dark Knight Rises. Better than every single Toby Maguire version of this Marvel franchise. Andrew Garfield does a great job capturing the awkwardness of Peter Parker, while Martin Sheen is perfect in the role of the doomed uncle. Rhys Ifans makes for an engaging villain, while Emma Stone doesn't have to do anything new to pull off the role of love-interest gwen Stacy. The plot wasn't nearly as predicatable as I thought it would be, and makes for a great superhero film. 2012 has really been the best years for super-hero movies. 
Rating: 8/10

Ted
It really just felt like a movie version of Family Guy just with a completely different set of characters. I enjoyed the film, but felt that the gags could have been a bit less predictable. But I like Family Guy, so enjoyed the movie. Didn't think I could enjoy a movie centred around a talking Teddy Bear and Mark Wahlberg as much as I did.
Rating: 7/10

The Watch
I think the producers were hoping that they could appeal to fans of Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Ben Stiller. In truth, even if you like one of them, you have to put up with the other two. The movie had some memorable scenes, but wasn't exactly a memorable movie.
Rating: 6/10

2012 Movie Rankings

1. My Week with Marilyn
2. The Descendants
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. The Avengers (3D)
5. Hugo (3D)
6. John Carter (3D)
7. 21 Jump Street 
8. The Hunger Games
9. The Amazing Spiderman (3D)
10. The Adventures of Tintin (3D) 
11. Snow White and the Huntsman
12. Men in Black III (3D)
13. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
14. Ted
15. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (3D)
16. The Watch
17. Iron Sky
18. The Dictator

NFL Picks: Week III

Will we see another upset this season as big as the Cardinals getting over the Patriots? Probably not. The third week of the NFL season looks a lot more straight forward than the second week, with it becoming easier to pick winners as we now know what to expect from this years rosters.

Last week I got 9/16 for my picks, with my upset pick of the Rams over the RGIII Redskins coming off. I'm really surprised at how slow the Saints have started the season. Surely they would have been a certainty to beat either the Redskins or the Panthers. Baltimore all of a sudden look to have a temperamental offence, not necessarily capable of putting up 20+ points every week.

New York Giants at Carolina Panthers

This game is no certainty. Eli Manning again added to his reputation as a fourth quarter magician in his teams come from behind win against the Buccaneers. In truth the Giants should never of allowed themselves to fall behind to the Buc's so late in the game. Carolina are coming off a solid win against the Saints and should have already gotten over their week one humiliation at the hands of the Buccaneers. The game will be won or lost at the defensive line, with the Giants looking to nullify Newton's running game. If the Giants can get Cameron Newton stuck in the pocket, Carolina's offence will revert to their week one version and fall apart. Carolina aren't looking to win this game on their defence.

New York by 6

St Louis Rams at Chicago Bears

After their loss to the Packers, you'd think the focus of this game should be about what to expect from Jay Cutler. Cutler was terrible against the Packers and doesn't look to be capable of carrying the Bears to Superbowl success this season. With the loss of Forte for a month, Chicago will need to rely on Cutler to come away with a win. the Chicago defence is as solid as ever and should rattle Sam Bradford and slow down Steven Jackson. The game will be close, but I don't see St Louis as being capable of getting the W at Soldier Field.

Chicago by 8

Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns

After Buffalo's win over the Chiefs, they should be near certain favourites to get up over the Browns. Cleveland should play better than they have in their previous two games, taking on the Eagles and Begnals, and will challenge Buffalo. C.J Spiller has been in great form for the Bills, averaging 10.1 yards a carry and having four runs for over 20 yards. The Bills running game should do enough to secure the Bills second win for the season.

Buffalo by 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys

After Dallas's loss to the Seahawks, I don't know what to expect. Romo played pretty darn hard against the Seahawks but got no support from his recievers or offensive line. If either one of these lifts their game, the Cowboys should be a lock to beat the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay have been much improved this season, allowing only 104 rushing yards in their two games so far this season. Look for a big game from Mason Foster who was a tackling machine for the Buc's against the Giants.

Dallas by 10

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indinapolis Colts

Andrew Luck got his first win in his NFL career last week against the Vikings. He should be able to get the win here, with the Jaguars not likely to get a win relying so heavily on Maurice Jones-Drew. The fact that Maurice Jones-Drew has the Jaguars second most receptions (6) demonstrates how badly the Jaguars are struggling in the air. Blaine Gabbert has got next to nothing out of first-round draft pick justin Blackmon, accumulating only 24 yards off three receptions in two games. Blackmon is a long way from being the Jaguars primary reciever and the Jaguars are a unlikely to have a serious chance at getting a win until they take on the Raiders in week seven.

Indianapolis by 20

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins

I reckon the Dolphins will get up here. Reggie Bush had a great game against the Raiders, and a strong game against the Texans, averaging 6 yards a carry for the season. Still don't know what to make about Mark Sanchez but wouldn't be surprised if he's pulled out of the game if he throws two interceptions and the Jets are down by more than 10 heading into the fourth quarter. The game will ultimately come down to how many turnovers Tannehill concedes. If the Jets apply enough pressure on defence, the win is theirs for the taking. I do think the Dolphins will be in better shape mentally after beating Oakland and will get the win at home.

Miami by 3

San Francisco at Minnesota Vikings

I'm not going to waste time writing anything about this. The Vikings may be 1-1 for the season, but one of their wins came in overtime against the Jaguars. Are a team who just beat the Jaguars, but lose to the Colts (who don't have a functioning offensive line) really going to beat a team who get eight point wins against Green Bay and Detroit? I think not.

San Francisco by 20+

Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints

These two teams have a combined record of 0-4 for the season so far. The Chiefs lost their games against the Bills and the Falcons, without looking likely to get the win in either of the two games. The Saints have lost their games playing the Redskins and Panthers. As good as the Saints offence has been, their defence has been letting them down, conceding a total of 372 yards on the ground. Drew Brees has also thrown four interceptions that have stifled the Saints offence. The Saints shouldn't be worried though. Unless the Chiefs can lay a solid platform on the ground, and they certainly have the personnel to do it. Peyton Hillis and Jamaal Charles are both capable of breaking a game open and you wouldn't bet against either one of them putting together a dominant game in the near future. I just don't see this happening at the Dome, where Brees will be happy to throw the ball around.

New Orleans by 10

Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans

Detroit are definately going to win. The Titans have been terrible, with Chris Johnson rushing for a total of 21 yards on 19 attempts (1.1 yards per carry). Jake Locker is the teams leading rusher on 32 yards! Detroit will get their second win of the season with ease.

Detroit by 20

Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins

This should be a great game. Both teams are 1-1 so far, with both Andy Dalton and Robert Griffin III having thrown three touchdowns across their two games. The Redskins should prevail looking to make up for their loss to the Rams. Robert Griffin III has been averaging 60 yards a game rushing, which should continue agains the Bengals who have already struggled to limit their opponents running game. The Redskins will give away plenty of points but will get the win.

Washington by 10

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals

Both teams beat AFC heavyweights last round, both teams have also won their first two games. The difference is no one in their right mind really thought the Cardinals were going to get over the Patriots! Philadelphia just got over Cleveland in week one, and produced an upset in getting up against the Ravens, and should be able to get past the Cardinals. The reason behind the Cardinals win over the Patriots was their ability to take advantage of turnovers committed by the Patriots. The Eagles aren't exactly league leaders when it comes to limiting turnovers and should be wary about airing it out when in their own half. The Cardinals can definately win this. They need to get their ground game working, making it harder to defend the pass. The Eagles won't be expecting much out of the Cardinals running backs, with Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams rushing 39 times so far for only 80 yards. If Michael Vick can limit the turnovers, the Eagles will win this with ease.

Philadelphia by 15

Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers

This is another game that should prove entertaining. Atlanta had a great first quarter against the Broncos, continuously picking off Peyton Manning and securing the score after the turnover. Philip Rivers has thrown one interception in his first two games, and will be relied on by his team to get the win off his arm. The Chargers have struggled on the ground and are still trying to create a balance between Jackie Battle and Curtis Brinkley. Atlanta have rhythm. Matt Ryan is yet to concede a turnover and will feel confident airing out the ball against a Chargers defence that has managed a single interception in the season so far. San Diego have put together a strong running defence so far, but will need to do a whole lot more to get the win.

Atlanta by 10

Houston Texans at Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning will be looking to make up for his abysmal first quarter against the Falcons, and should attack the Texans with gusto. Much has been made of Peyton Manning's arm strength, and the Broncos are still sorting out their routes in accordance to the playing style of Manning. The passing attack that greets the Texans in Denver should be much improved and will challenge the Texans. Houston will look to their defence to slow down Denver, limiting their oponents to an average of 124 passing yards and 72 rushing yards a game. J.J Watt has been a beast in defence, accumulating three sacks and five pass deflections while also recovering a fumble. Manning has been sacked five times so far this year, and should expect to see that number rise over the course of this game.

Houston by 12

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders

No way are the Raiders going to recover from their humiliation at the hands of the Dolphins to overcome the Steelers. The Steelers will get the win with ease.

Pittsburgh by 18

New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens

This game won't be flashy. It's a clash of two teams nursing severely bruised egos. The Ravens managed to turn a 31 point victory over their division rivals the Bengals into a loss to a team who beat the cleveland Browns by a single point. The Patriots would be even more stunned. They lost to the Cardinals. THE CARDINALS!!! You'd think the Ravens would win this at home, but Joe Flacco looked average against the Eagles. Against the Eagles he completed just over 52% of his passes and averaged only five yards on each completion. Patriots did lose at home, and I don't see them returning to a winning record in Baltimore on a Sunday night.

Baltimore by 6

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks

I don't buy into any hype about the Seahawks. Looking forward to seeing Clay Matthews welcome Russell Wilson to the NFL with a heavy sack. Seattle's only hope is Marshawn Lynch, but Green Bay's pass defence is too strong to allow Lynch to get loose.

Green Bay by 15


Last weeks tipping results: 9-7
Tipping results so far (started week two): 9-7

NFL Picks: Week II

Decided to do NFL tipping from now on, forgot to do this last week. Running late so will provide actual reasons for my tips from next week onwards.

Picks in bold

Chicago at Green Bay
Kansas City at Buffalo
New Orleans at Carolina
Cleveland at Cincinnati
Minnesota at Indianapolis
Houston at Jacksonville
Oakland at Miami
Arizona at New England
Tampa Bay at New York Giants
Baltimore at Philadelphia
Dallas at Seattle
Washington at St Louis
New York Jets at Pittsburgh
Tennessee at San Diego
Detroit at San Francisco
Denver at Atlanta

Only real upset would be St Louis over Washington. Don't really buy into the whole RGIII hype. Denver v Atlanta should be the game of the round.

Changing the rules in the NRL

Last Saturday I found myself sitting on a couch, enjoying a longneck of Superdry, while watching the Manly Sea Eagles take on the Gold Coast Titans. In a strange moment, I saw some Titans player strip the ball from his opponent thinking he was the only one making the tackle, saw that another player had assisted in the tackle, placed the ball back into the hands of the tackled player, before standing up and assuming the marker position. The Manly player got up to play the ball, before the ref realised what had happened and blew a penalty for Manly. I instinctively blurted out "That shouldn't be a penalty, should be play on".

Clearly, according to the rules of Rugby League, Manly deserved a penalty. But in reality the Titan had only stripped it because he didn't see his team mate, had resolved the situation and the game hadn't been slowed down as a result. It was the equivalent of knocking over a strangers drink in the pub and buying him a new one. No one was worse off. In truth the rule shouldn't change to allow people to try rectifying the situation, as it would be too hard to judge whether someone had done it deliberately in the first place.

The NRL should take some inspiration from this and introduce a rule that could make Rugby League globally popular. It works off the idea of "rectifying the situation", but would only be applied in instances of foul play. if a player did a high/late/spear tackle on an opposition player, the victim of the illegal tackle would be given an option. They could choose to "rectify the situation" in two ways. They could either accept the penalty, gaining extra territory/potential points/reset tackle count to make up for the offence, or they could choose to expose the guilty player to the same risk of injury that the victim faced when the illegal tackle was made.

Here's how it would work in game. Manly are playing Melbourne and Anthony Watmough finds himself flying through a gap with only Billy Slater left to stop him from scoring. Slater, incapable of performing a normal tackle, flys up around Watmough's neck coat-hangering him and bringing him to the ground. Sean Hampstead blows the penalty and runs over to Watmough. Hampstead says: "Punch or Penalty". Watmough elects the "punch" option. Slater stands up, Watmough looks Slater in the eye before sending a solid right hook into Slaters cheek. The situation was rectified. Slater's tackle put Watmough at the risk of concussion, broken bones, vertebrae damage etc. etc. Watmough getting to punch Slater put Slater at a similar risk of injury. Situation rectified.

Punch or Penalty. NRL Commission should embrace it. After all, who wouldn't want to see Billy Slater, Sonny Bill Williams or Jamie Soward smashed in the face?

Australia at the Olympics

Much has evidently been made of Australia's performance at the London Olympic games. Some are arguing that Australia should be providing more funding to sports, I even saw a graph that suggests that the rise in sports funding correlates with a downwards trend in how many Gold medals Australia has won.

But I just think back to the Beijing Olympics. My favourite moment involving an Australian didn't end with a Gold medal, it ended with Silver. Sally Pearson's pure joy at attaining a silver medal in Beijing, dancing about with her fellow competitors following the race, was the best moment of the Olympics because of the joy and surprise the occasion presented.

Aurora

I've recently been asking around who was the better villain in the Dark Knight. Was it The Joker or Two-Face/Harvey Dent? Most would answer The Joker. The Joker was, after all, the focus of the entire film following the death of Heath Ledger. I make the argument that Harvey Dent was the better villain. The Joker is meant to be inconsistent and unreadable, completely impossible to relate to. Two-Face comes about as a result of the grief and pain Harvey Dent endured through the death of Rachel Dawes. You can relate to him, you can relate to the feelings of grief and despair he feels at the death of Rachel. One of the underlying plots of Christopher Nolan's batman movies seems to be how differently people deal with death and chaos.

The coverage following the events at Aurora Colorado was obsessed with trying to find meaning from the events that took place. The media were asking whether the perpetrator had been impacted by violent video games, societies obsession with violence, the ease of attaining firearms in the USA. Like The Joker in Batman, the perpetrators motives are almost non-existent. Yet people need to find a reason behind the slaughter of innocent lives. Sometimes their isn't a reason. Sometimes things just happen. Hell, most of the time things just happen. There is no clear answer to what took place. If video games are to blame, why are the millions of people who engage in violent video games not mass murderers? If societies obsession with violence is to blame, then why aren't there more people going out looking to shoot up cinema theatres? If it is so easy to attain weapons in the USA, why wasn't there someone in the cinema able to shoot him? There is no simple answer that can be determined without input from the perpetrator himself. People deal with death and chaos by searching for answers, but sometimes there is no clear answer.

Picking Australia's Rugby 7's team for the 2012 London Olympics

Obviously this is all hypothetical. It was put to me earlier today to select a Rugby 7's team for the 2012 London Olympics. I used to do this in almost every one of my year nine history classes. While our teacher would moan on about the importance of the Waitangi treaty and what it means for the Maori people of New Zealand, me and a fellow sports nut would be putting together sports teams.

Teams selected could be an English Premier League XI or a Southern Hemisphere Rugby XV. One of the most common teams involved making a fifteen or thirteen man squad comprising both Rugby League and Ruby union players. AFL was mostly an afterthought and never really got considered in any team. Generating such fantasy teams helped considerably in passing the time while being lectured on the inane details of Maori history and culture.

The challenge of selecting a Ruby sevens team is considerably easier. The team could be selected from Australian footballers from league, union or aussie rules. It started out with seven players being selected, until someone went and selected a five man bench as well. I'll list the team I selected, justify my selections, and then proceed to mock everyone else's team.

THE MJ VII

Paul Gallen

David Pocock

Cameron Smith

Johnathan Thurston

Quade Cooper

Digby Ioane

Greg Inglis

Bench: Billy Slater, Kurtley Beale, Robbie Farah, Will Genia, Michael Hooper

Clearly this team is incredible. Paul Gallen and Cameron Smith are tackling machines while also being able ball carriers. Cameron Smith and Robbie Farah are both physical enough to play as sevens props and can assist in playmaking. Michael Hooper and David Pocock would frustrate oppositions with constant pilfering, with Hooper's physicality meaning that he could move to prop if Farah was on at the same time.

The backs have enough creativity, size, and pace to absolutely tear apart any opposition. Inglis and Ioane both have pace to burn and are able defenders. Thurston and Cooper are both capable of taking it to the defence, with Cooper's ability to offload a major asset to the team. Thurston is fast enough to create opportunities for his team mates, and agile enough to jinx his way through the defence.  Slater, Beale and Genia provide plenty of pace, creativity and scoring ability off the bench.

I struggled to think of any AFL players to include in the team. A game like Rugby 7's places a lot of emphasis on one-on-one tackling where the aim is to bring down the man rather than just hold on to him. For this reason I wasn't confident in picking even the more physical players like Chris Judd, Dane Swan or Scott Pendlebury as they have never needed to prove their one-on-one tackling ability. AFL players have also never proven that they could break through a defensive line, with players in AFL getting past their man by slowing down and running in circles. This wouldn't translate at all to Rugby Sevens.

Opposition Team #1: The NK VII

Selected From:

Quade Cooper  Lewis Jetta                          Michael Hooper

Will Genia            Scott Higginbotham        Garry Ablett (C)

Billy Slater           Paul Gallen

Ben Barba           Cameron Smith

Nic Natanui         Kurtley Beale

No surprises at the amount of AFL players selected. This squad's biggest problem is the questionable physicality of the included AFL players. Natanui would be great in the lineout, but hasn't proven to be a very physical player. Lewis Jetta would be a major liability on defence. Even with the Swans at the moment, he does nothing other than score long range goals and run long distances with the ball. He could prove to be valuable in attack, but his defence is too questionable to warrant his inclusion.

I'm guessing the front row would consist of Higginbotham, Gallen and Cameron Smith. Gallen is obviously a solid all round player, Smith is great in defence and adds to the teams playmaking capabilities. Higginbotham may be too slow to have any impact on the game. He would make a great ball carrier, but I doubt he could contribute much at the breakdown. Hooper would be better suited to the team. Barba can create something out of nothing, making him perhaps the ultimate league player in the rugby sevens format. Ablett is an unknown quantity in this game, but is more physical than either Natanui or Jetta. Genia, Cooper and Beale all provide great creativity and flair. If Natanui and Jetta were replaced with more physical players, the team would be vastly improved.

Opposition Team #2: The Spooner VII

Kurtley Beale

Michael Jennings

Cyril Rioli

Will Genia

Anthony Watmough

Cameron Smith

Radike Samo

Bench: Israel Folau, Karmichael Hunt, Billy Slater, Tatafu Polota-Nau, David Pocock

Of the three AFL players, only Cyril Rioli is questionable. Although Rioli has been a strong contributor in attack for Hawthorn, his would be an obvious defensive liability. His tackling ability in AFL is largely restricted to sneaking up on people from behind unseen. This is useless in 7's.  Samo is too slow now, and lacks the agility to make effective one-on-one tackles in open play. Jennings is a solid selection. He is physical enough in defence, while also being agile and powerful enough to break through defensive lines. Watmough and Smith are both consistent contributors.

It's the bench that's the most interesting part of this team. Folau would relish playing rugby again, with Hunt having also proven himself across both codes. I considered putting Polota-Nau in my team just because of the energy he puts into each and every game. He is probably the only front row forward in rugby union who could actually play sevens. Pocock obviously provides great defensive ability and breakdown capabilities. If it wasn't for the two-man advantage, the bench could beat the starting team.

The Cricket Club VII

Greg Inglis

Johnathan Thurston

Billy Slater

Cooper Cronk

David Taylor

Paul Gallen

Brendan Fevola

A front row of Dave Taylor, Paul Gallen and Brendan Fevola would be funny to watch. Except it wouldn't be that effective. Gallen would be fine, but Dave Taylor is less suited for 7's then Brendan Fevola is. Fevola could actually keep up with the game (assuming he got back to AFL fitness) and contribute with the boot. Fevola would actually relish being able to tackle people hard, unlike the rest of the AFL players being selected. The biggest problem with this team would be their lack of experience at the breakdown, compounded by Taylor's lack of pace. The backs would be entertaining, but would find themselves stuck in a ruck while Dave Taylor struggles to get his massive frame around the field.

What the Opening Ceremony should involve

The Olympic Games may be one of the largest events in the World, but the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics must be one of the most watched events in the World. Intrigue dominates the Opening Ceremony. What will the athletes be wearing? What will the ceremony entail? Instead of trying to determine what will actually happen in the Opening Ceremony, I've decided to announce what the Opening Ceremony should entail.

Obviously it wouldn't be England without drizzle. If it looks like it won't be raining, the organisers should ensure that suitable implements are installed to create a fake drizzle across the stadium. Bunting should also be present all over the stadium, with mini Union Flags criss-crossing over the Stadium and amongst the rafters. If done well enough, this could act as a roof, allowing organisers to save money on installing artificial rain sprinklers.

At some point a Lancaster needs to fly by. The best part of the Royal Wedding was when the Lancaster flew over. Only idiots would disagree with this, the only other reasonable moment better than the Lancaster was when the Wedding finished. Spitfires should also be involved in some way, with a Chinook helicopter obliged to land in the Stadium at some point dropping off either IOC honchos or Susan Boyle. Susan Boyle can rest assured that the IOC honchos won't hit on her. The reason for this is obvious.

At some point Jeremy Clarkson should be involved. I remember they did this whole E-Type Jag thing on the show. That worked really well because they prominently displayed the Union Flag and had Spitfires. Jeremy Clarkson should either be the choreographer or drive around in an MG/Jaguar/Bentley shouting "power".

Dance Numbers aren't needed as the English can't dance.

The Queen should be made to wave to every athlete who walks by. The order in which nations parade should be done with the most Protestant nations marching first. The more Catholic a nation is, the later it will march. How very, very English.

The best thing about this ceremony is nothing about it would surprise anyone (how very English), and leave everyone disappointed (how very English indeed).

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

It is unfortunate that the Dark Knight Rises will forever be linked to the horrific actions of a lone gunman in Colorado. The Dark Knight Rises isn't the Avengers. It is not an enjoyable film, but it is a thoroughly satisfying experience. The films narrative continues on not only from The Dark Knight, but significantly encompasses elements from Batman Begins. Despite Dark Knight Rises being set eight years since the events of the Dark Knight, it hardly feels like you've missed a beat. Bane is an excellent villain. Selina Kyle adds a whole new level of intrigue and unpredictability to the series. It is hard to fault the movie except perhaps for the pacing of the movie in the second half. The film is more epic than the Dark Knight, encompassing the scale of Batman Begins rather than the narrow focus of Dark Knight. I don't want to write too much, because every part of the film feels integral to the final outcome. Best movie of the year so far.
Rating: 10/10

Determining a Favourite Sport

I've been increasingly looking at the Sydney Morning Herlald website when It's been quiet at work. More specifically, I've been looking at the Heralds AFL section. I've never looked at the AFL section until this week, but find myself looking at it almost daily. All this has coincided with my declining interest in the NRL. I recently decided that the best way of working out what my favourite sports were could be done simply by looking at how much of the sport you watch on TV when neither side or participant is one you have a strong rooting interest for.

This logic is what has made me realise that I actually prefer AFL over NRL. Unlike AFL, if two teams I don't follow appear on the box, I flick the channel almost instantly. I might check in on scores, but I wouldn't watch an entire game unless it was a finals game or had finals implications for a team I support. The key variable to consider here is the quality and timing of TV coverage. For instance, I watch AFL on a friday night ad free on Fox Footy. NRL on a friday night is shown on Channel 9 with ads. New Zealand Super Rugby games are shown at 5:30pm while no other sport codes are on television. AFL can be found on Saturday afternoons at 1:30pm when neither NRL or Super Rugby is on. NRL on a Sunday arvo is shown delayed. So the best way of working my favourite Australian football code would be to look at what I watch on a Saturday evening when all teams playing are neatral. My viewing habits for all Saturday nights, regardless of whether the Dragons/Waratahs/Swans are playing is the same every week. I watch the Super Rugby, checking in on scores for the other codes, while watching the end of the AFL. Even if the Dragons are playing, I'll at best tune in for the final 10 minutes.

The rankings are therefore as follows:
1 - Rugby Union
2 - AFL
3 - NRL

But it would become much harder to include sports such as Cricket, Basketball or American Football due to the sporadic nature of their TV broadcasting. Back when I wasn't working and had Monday and Tuesdays off Uni, I would be watching three games of NFL each week, regardless of who was playing. Another method you could use to quantify your favourite sports could be how much money you spend on that sports merchandise. But again, different sports have differing prices for their merchandise.

Ultimately gut instinct is the easiest way of working out what your favourite sport is. But the next best way would be to look at viewing habits. Just for the record, at the time of writing, these are my favourite ten sports:

1. Rugby Union
2. American Football
3. Cricket
4. Basketball
5. Soccer
6. Aussie Rules  
7. Rugby League

Picking an AFL team

I've attended seven AFL games in my lifetime. The most memorable of which was a game at the beginning of the 2007 season between the Swans and the West Coast Eagles. The Eagles had played the Swans in the Grand Final the previous year, with the Eagles prevailing by a single point. This game, amongst 62,000 odd fans, failed to disappoint. Sitting right at the back of the stand, high above the field of play, it as possible to understand the appeal of Australian Football. The game flowed reasonably freely with a dramatic finish. The Eagles ultimately winning, like in the previous years Final, by a single point.
Since then I've struggled at times to understand the appeal of the game. Sometimes it appears to be too prone to being a blowout. Of the seven games I've attended, only one has been decided by less than thirty points. The game also appears quite slow at times, with teams struggling to clear the ball from the ruck area. I hardly watched any AFL at all, only tuning in around Finals time, and even then, only when the Swans were playing.
For some reason I started questioning who I really supported in the AFL. I was a Sydney supporter at the time of the two grand finals. But I asked myself whether I was only supporting Sydney because I was taking an interest in the game at the time of their success. I decided to do what I had done with other sports, and support the team my Dad supported. In this case that team would be Carlton. Carlton had become one of my favourite teams to watch in the weekly highlights package. Brendan Fevola was the single most entertaining player in the competition, having won the Coleman medal for leading goal scorer the previous year. He could seemingly score from anywhere and had a big personality to match.
The problem was I could never really force myself to watch a Carlton game like I could a Sydney game. I just kept telling myself that I had only supported the Swans because they were winning. This continued for the next three years until the announcement of a new AFL team in Sydney, the Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants. I decided to get on board and went along to the first game of the 2012 season between the Swans and the Giants. The thing was I didn't really cheer on good play by the Giants (even though there wasn't much to cheer about), but cheered on the strong performances by the Swans players.
As of this Saturday, I'm prepared to declare myself a Swans supporter. Yet again I'm questioning myself about whether or not I'm only supporting them because they're doing well. In this instance, this is not the case. No one really expected anything from the Swans this year, but I always put in the effort to check how they were going and watch the games when I could.
No team in the AFL is going to struggle more from the Swans success than the GWS Giants. The Swans are going to draw in all the casual supporters in this years finals run, and you can be sure that the Swans are going to go all out to secure their support heading into the future. As long as the Swans succeed on the field, the Giants are going to struggle to create a fan base.

At the Movies: 2012

I recently sought out to determine how many times I've been to the cinema this year. I have only gone to Event Cinemas Macquarie (due to convenience and reliability) and have always booked online. Checking my email account, it turns out I've been to the cinemas sixteen times this year, seeing fifteen movies. In the interest of doing things for no reason, I intend to write a brief review of each movie, score out of 10, then rank them at the end. I'll be reviewing each movie in order of when I saw them.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Solid Film. Enjoyed the banter between Sherlock (Downer Jr) and Watson (Jude Law). The movie did seem to get a bit slow around the middle, but sped up towards the end providing a  gripping finish. Jared Harris (the pom off Mad Men) provided an enjoyable depiction of Moriarty, with Stephen Fry playing Holmes' brother with his familiar pomposity.
Rating: 7/10

The Adventures of Tintin (3D)
I went into this film expecting to be dissapointed. I was relieved to discover that Spielberg had provided a faithful adaptation of the comics, with stunning visual effects. The movie really felt like I was reading one of Herge's comics. I liked that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) were cast as the bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating: 8/10

Hugo
I saw this film after having read and heard a lot of the hype surrounding the film. The Visual effects were well and truly worth the hype. From the opening scene where the camera peered across Paris, I couldn't help but be transfixed. Scorcese does a great job in communicating his own sense of wonder about old cinema to the audience. Time Magazine declared the film to be a love poem by Scorcese. They couldn't be any more correct, and what a remarkable love poem it is.
Rating: 9/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I hadn't seen the previous adaptations of Stieg Larsson's book, and didn't know what to expect. The film was utterly engaging, thrilling, and distressing. David Fincher made very location appear bleak, reinforcing the isolation each of the main characters feels. Rooney Mara was remarkable. You couldn't help but be transfixed by her portrayal of the strong yet vulnerable Lisbeth Salander. A great film.
Rating: 9/10

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (3D)
I've always been more than happy to stand up for Episode I. Despite Jar Jar, depite the cheesy script, despite the confusion midichlorins added to the star wars universe. But this was dissapointing. The 3D did nothing to further enhance the film with the conversion to 3D making everything appear blurry. The Pod Race was good, as was the encounter with Darth Maul (Which I maintain is the best Star Wars lightsaber fight). By the end I felt tired due to the blur, and dissapointed.
Rating: 6/10

The Descendants
Loved this one. Beautiful scenery from Hawaii. Great performances by everyone. Engaging story, engaging characters.
Rating: 9/10

My Week with Marilyn
What a great film. Michelle Williams plays Marilyn Munroe brilliantly, transfixing the audience. The movie really revolves around the character of Colin Clark and his experiences on the set. Eddie Redmayne plays Colin well,communicating Colin's innocence and fascination of Ms Munroe. It was a pity that Emma Watson was playing such a minor role.
Rating: 9/10

John Carter (3D)
I can't understand the indifference directed towards this film. This was better than Avatar. It created the kind of world that hadn't been seen in a movie since Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. It had great villians, great special effects and a great plot. How could anyone accuse the plot of this movie as being confusing while praising films like The Prestige or Inception? This was the best epic film since Star Trek.
Rating: 9/10

The Hunger Games
So much hype. Thank goodness it was all warranted. It was great watching Jennifer Lawrence try to think she was innocent after killing someone with a bee hive. A bee hive! Can't wait for the next movie.
Rating: 8/10

21 Jump Street
Channing Tatum finally playing the perfect role. This was the funniest movie I've seen since Superbad. Humour wasn't too low-brow and there was just enough slapstick. Also loved the entire dynamic of the high school they were infiltrating.
Rating: 8/10

The Avengers (3D) 
I saw this movie twice. Was simply awesome. Who can complain about a franchise where they are able to just casually add in actors such as Scarlett Johannson. Mark Ruffalo was excellent as the hulk. Also great to see Chris Evans in an all round better movie then Captain America.
Rating: 9/10

Iron Sky
Nazis from the Moon! the first half of this movie was simply terrible. But as the Nazi Invasion began it started becoming more and more serious. If the movie hadn't become seriousthis movie could have well gone down as one of the worst releases of the year. Ends up having a strong message, just a pity that they didn't take themselves seriously enough for the first half of the movie.
Rating: 5/10

The Dictator
Terrible. What a let down. Way too crude. Some good throw away lines like "Is it a boy, or an abortion?" that really look awful when they aren't placed in their proper context.
Rating: 4/10

Men In Black 3 (3D) 
Solid. Fitting conclusion to the Men in Black franchise. Will Smith hasn't changed and neither has J. Brolin makes a solid addition to the cast, playing a younger version of K. The film captures all the best parts of the previous two films. It captures the gore, the humour, the irrelevance. Not as strong as the first MIB, but better then the second.
Rating: 7/10

Snow White and the Huntsman
What do you mean this isn't in 3D? I'd grown so accustomed to seeing movies like this in 3D that I was almost in a state of disbelief when I discovered the movie was in 2D. After my initial dissapointment, I'm happy to report that Snow White was a  great movie. It had great beasts, great performances. Plus I finally understand why Kristen Stewart is considerd attractive. The film is barely girly at all, and has some great battle sequences.
Rating: 8/10

2012 Movie Rankings (till 12/07/12)

1. My Week with Marilyn
2. The Descendants
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. The Avengers (3D)
5. Hugo (3D)
6. John Carter (3D)
7. 21 Jump Street
8. The Hunger Games
9. The Adventures of Tintin (3D) 
10. Snow White and the Huntsman
11. Men in Black III (3D)
12. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
13. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (3D)
14. Iron Sky
15. The Dictator

I'll probably update this list each time I watch a movie. Probably...

The Olympics

Normally it isn't hard to get excited about the Olympics. The Olympics is the second biggest international sports event after the FIFA World Cup. It brings together thousands of athletes from around the world competing in a heap of sports. There are the various story lines that follow the favourites in these events. Will they be healthy? Will they be able to handle the pressure of competing in front of a home crowd? Can they meet the hyped up expectations? But there is something about these Olympics that feels different.

I just can't get excited about these Olympics. I'll admit to being obsessed about the Basketball competition (Mens). But that's basically because it's one of only two occasions every four years where you see a de facto NBA All-Stars team put together. It stems more from my basketball obsession rather than the Olympics. But when it comes to the Athletics or the Swimming, there is no way I can get excited. This probably has more to do with the state of each competition at the moment. Swimming looks set to be dominated by the Americans, while Athletics coverage seemingly made up of nothing more than speculation about whether Bolt will perform in London.

In reality the Olympics isn't about particular athletes meeting the hype and living up to expectations. It's about finding new athletes to barrack for. New athletes who get you out of bed at 3am to watch the 400 metres mens swimming final. The most thrilling Olympic moment for me was when Cathy Freeman handled the hometown expectations and won the 400 metres. But everyone of my favourite Olympic moments after that involve someone using the Olympics to introduce themselves on the World stage or show us something about them that shouts at the audience: "This is why we compete".

In 2004 an Austrian weightlifter received a call from a German lady. The German lady had been watching the weightlifter compete throughout Germany and had hounded the event commentators for the weightlifters number. Not long after they met, they found themselves married. He moved to the his wife's native country, and kept on training to represent his native Austria. In 2007, as the weightlifter trained for the upcoming Beijing Olympics, he received a call no one should ever receive. The woman who had hounded commentators for his phone number, the woman who had become his wife, had died in a car accident. He dealt with his grief not in quitting but through training. He decided to represent his wife's country, Germany, in the upcoming Olympics. Matthias Steiner failed until his final lift. His final lift of 258kg gave him the Gold medal. As he stood on the podium clutching a photo of his deceased wife, it was clear to all why Steiner had put the effort into winning the event. "This is why we compete".

And that is why I'll probably be up till 3am every night of the Olympics. To see the athletes who come out of no where. To see the athletes who are dealing with something more than expectation or injuries. You have to want athletes to win, and the Olympics never fail in tossing up dozens of such individuals who you are willing to stay up all night to cheer for.

Manly v Parramatta: The Brookie experience

It's been about 7 years since I've been to an NRL game between teams I didn't have an interest in. In that instance it was a game between the Roosters and the Rabbitohs. My eight year old brother had decided he would support the Roosers because they were "The Sydney team".  He was also looking forward to seeing our Grandfathers team, The Rabbitohs, fall to his newly adopted "Sydney" Roosters. That game was at the Sydney Football Stadium, known as Aussie Stadium at the time. The game time experience for an NRL game at the football stadium was always the same. Unless you were part of a particular teams dedicated supporter group you wouldn't be interacting with anyone outside of your own group and nothing would be taking place other than the game. At the end of the game everyone would gather their things and proceed, as directed, to the nearest exit before disappearing into the evening.

Brookvale is different. Here you have the possibility of having supporters turn up after getting off the couch. The teams leagues club is less than 300 metres away. The entire ground isn't full of seats. There is room around the side for bored spectators to do their own thing. This is why rugby league gets the dedicated supporters who are prepared to give everything to get to the next home game. As we stood at the back of the hill in the north-east corner, watching Brett Stewart go over for a try, we began speculating amongst ourselves about why he had pulled up just before scoring. Was it an injury? Did he not realise a chasing player was so close? "He did it before his last try" a nearby spectator added. "He's done for the day". It's hard to imagine having this conversation at Homebush or the football stadium. It's almost like the difference between that swanky new bar and your local pub. It's a completely different atmosphere.

As Manly started scoring try-after-try our attention wandered over to a group of kids wrestling with each other just below the embankment we were standing on. One kid, who was about half a foot shorter, and a fair bit lighter than the other kids was going hard. He'd crash tackle the others into the ground before ferociously trying to drive them deeper into the mud around them. A consensus seemed to arise throughout our area that Parra should sign this guy. The greatest amount of courage and passion we saw that day wasn't on the field but in some young blokes effort to show his size didn't matter.

The game itself wasn't that great. Most of the hardcore spectators were bored by the time Manly went over early in the second half to send the margin to over fourty points. The Eels bewildered everyone in the second half by playing good enough football to win the half and significantly decrease the margin. Final score was: Manly 40 Parramatta 24. This was the second time I've been to Brookie, but it is definitely far better than either the football stadium or Homebush. It was at these suburban grounds that the Dads who take their kids to the game first attended a game of rugby league, and it will be these grounds that todays kids will want to take their children to in the future.

NBA Free Agency Watch: Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers

Steve Nash from Suns to Lakers for two first-round picks, two second-round picks, cash
Well done to the Suns for making something of this situation. It looked like they weren't going to get anything out of Nash until this went through. Lakers will come to regret Nash's contract ($25 million over three years). At least he'll be better than Sessions.
Suns now look like they're pursuing Michael Beasley. Beasley would fit in reasonably well, and I'm sure Phoenix still believe that Beasley has the potential to be one of the top scorers in the NBA.
On paper the Lakers now have the best starting five in the NBA. Who wouldn't want a team with Bynum and Gasol around the rim, with Nash and Bryant in the backcourt? It's fortunate for the league that Bynum isn't consistent and Kobe is starting to show his age. This is the kind of trade, at least for the coming season, will be regarded as a good one by both teams.

NBA Free Agency Watch

It's looking more and more likely that Eric Gordon has just signed an offer sheet from the Phoenix Suns. The deal looks to be $58 million over four years. The Hornets have to be reeling right now. Even with Anthony Davis, Gordon was the major part of the trade for Chris Paul. Unlike in the NFL, teams get nothing when they lose one of there players in Restricted Free Agency.
For the Suns this deal makes a whole lot of sense. They have a scorer who can fill the gap that looks to be left by the likely departure of Steve Nash. Suns still don't really have much to work with and look like they'll spend at least another year out of the playoffs. Unless both Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers come through right away, there is no way the Hornets are going to make the playoffs this coming season. As long as Rashard Lewis' $21 million plus salary remains on the Hornets books, they'll struggle to come close to making the playoffs. If they can't resign Chris Kaman (rumoured to be getting interest from the Pacers) or another decent centre there is no chance they'll be close to competitive this season.

It's going to be a very interesting free agency period...

The Rugby Championship: Hello Argentina!

The expansion of the Tri-Nations to include Argentina is one of the best things to happen in World Rugby for a long while. The staggering of the tournament till later in the year allows for Argentina to avoid its usual conundrum of having all their top players still playing club Rugby in Europe at the time of the Autumn Internationals.
The best Argentina could possibly be hoping for in the tournament would be to knock over either South Africa or Australia when they trek it over the Atlantic/Pacific in order to face the Pumas. Argentina have proven that they can compete even without their big names. A second-string sides victory against Italy suggests they have the depth to at least be competitive in the tournament. France also discovered how hard it can be to win in South America, losing narrowly in the first of their two games in June. The addition of Argentina to the tri-nations adds another storyline to what is shaping up to be a great tournament.

"Should Governments protect Independent Journalism?"

The answer to this should be obvious. But according to three out of the four individuals the Herald selected for this weeks "The Question" section, the Government should be actively involving itself in funding journalism. Don't we already have enough government involvement in journalism? Surely the ABC and SBS are enough.

Ed Coper, a media consultant, believes that the government should ensure that citizens have access to fact-based journalism. Apparently we have a "right to be informed" and the government should involve themselves in journalism to protect this "right to be informed". I've looked over the constitution and don't see any "right to be informed".

Ultimately the problem with this entire article (other than Chris Berg's contribution, which was a healthy dose of common sense) is this idea that "independent" journalism can exist, and that "independent" journalism can exist when dependent on government support.

I'm sure The Herald will continue to provide quality reporting no matter who owns the paper. The majority of people buy a paper to read the news, not the analysis which is where editors can push a particluar agenda. Get over it.

NBA Playoffs: Heat v Knicks

He punched a fire extinguisher and will miss at least one game. He punched a fire extinguisher. It always seems that these sort of things only ever happen in the NBA. Whether it be Ron Artest objecting to ice being thrown in his face, Delonte West giving Gordon Hayward a "Wet Willie" or Gilbert Arenas walking around the locker room with guns, the NBA is the home of crazy. But to think that Amare Stoudemire would find himself in this same group when he was playing with the Suns is just unthinkable. New York must have a weird effect on you. And the New York Knicks season seems to be proving this.

The Knicks now find themselves down by three in their series with the Heat, and Carmelo is probably already trying to call dibs on his roommate for the Olympics. The Knicks have been the most remarkable team to watch this season. The signing of Tyson Chandler. Questions over combining Amare and Melo. Is it worth giving this Harvard guy some game time? Do we get rid of the Coach or break up Amare and Melo? Who would have thought a Harvard guy could actually be good! Wait he's injured. Can someone please explain why we are playing better now then any other point in the season with Amare and Lin out? The story lines around this Knicks team have been unrivalled. The Knicks at the end of the regular season were one of the top teams in the competition. They were able to close out tight contests and could rely on Anthony to bring home the bacon. The Knicks are done in the playoffs, but should think outside of the box for game 4.

Instead of rushing back Jeremy Lin, how about playing Stoudemire off the bench and letting Novak start. Novak may have struggled so far in this series, but was on absolute fire when he wasn't contending for floor time with Stoudemire. If the Knicks can re-sign Novak in this off season, I wouldn't be surprised to see Stoudemire traded for a more physical front court player who can play both centre and the power forward position. Ryan Anderson is the sort of solid player who would compliment Tyson Chandler and could play the centre position and still keep pulling in the rebounds, especially on offence. Stoudemire would actually work well in Orlando, providing extra pace around the net that would open up space for Howard. Note that this assumes that Howard stays in Orlando. Actually, even if he left, Stoudemire would work well with an ageing Turkoglu and the other spare parts that compose the Magic.


On the other side of the series, the Heat have been satisfactory. They are meeting expectations and Lebron is playing to an expected standard. Wade is playing up to expectations and Bosh is playing at a satisfactory level. Nothing about them is interesting, they're just playing as well as a team with the leagues best small forward and one of the leagues best shooting guards should be playing. The Heat will finish the series in four games.

Q&A

This evening I had the opportunity to attend Q&A in the ABC's Ultimo Studios. Hearing that British Conservative and European Parliament member Dan Hannan was on the panel, I jumped at the opportunity to join the studio audience.

The panel appeared looked promising. Bill Shorten and Julie Bishop were in attendance representing their respective sides of politics, Annabel Crab represented the media, while Eva Cox represented an outside left-wing point of view.

Dan Hannan is a truly spectacular politician with a stunning ability to deliver a speech. Dan Hannan gained fame for a spectacularly aggressive verbal assault at Gordon Brown on the floor of the European Parliament. More recently he wowed young conservatives from across America while delivering a speech at CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference).

The producers of Q&A would have been well aware of Hannan's ability to talk about the philosophical side of politics, the clash of ideas, something that has been missing so badly from Q&A. Instead of directing conversation towards the big questions, Q&A finds itself focusing on the latest news story. This is evident in the emails sent out to those attending outlining the recent news stories that may be worthy of discussion. As a result Q&A became a panel of four. With Cox and Hannan being left to watch as Jones directed the duel between Bishop and Shorten, while Crabb added humour on the side.

It was almost cringe worthy to watch as Jones asked Hannan for an 'outsiders' perspective on the debates of today, with it taking until the second half of the show for the more urgent topic of the European debt crisis to be addressed. Julie Bishop, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, wasn't even asked a question on the devastating situation in Syria.

Q&A has been excellent in the past. But oddly only when they have a single panellist. Take the episode in Old Parliament House where an apparently 'popular with the youth' Prime Minister found himself under a constant assault from all sides of politics. Take the election episodes where Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard had a show each where they appeared by themselves. These episodes were truly engaging. The most interesting had to be the John Howard episode. Howard faced fierce criticism, laments at his disappearance from the national stage, and even a pair of stinky shoes.

Maintaining a single panellist is obviously impossible due to the inability to constantly provide such a high profile guest. If Q&A keeps going, they need to discuss issues relevant to all panellists. A discussion of ideas rather than the news would be a good place to start.

And most importantly Q&A should never do another Melbourne Writers Festival Special again. It sucks every single year.